Editorial‘A deal to be made’
The World Trade Center must be the most vibrant “stalled” construction project in history. Thousands of workers are there every day and have been there for years working on the 9/11 memorial, a large train station and two office towers. The “stalled” feeling comes from the near certainty that too much of the work will stop long before completion unless the owner of the site, the Port Authority, can make a deal with W.T.C. developer Larry Silverstein. Letters to the Editor

Dealing with St. Vincent’s when the nuns ran things
By Ed Gold
The New York Times has run several farewell articles on St. Vincent’s Hospital that dealt primarily with corporate management and the continuing downward financial picture that has become a fixture at the hospital for at least four decades.

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Villager photo by Bonnie Rosenstock

Rays of hope shine at benefitFrom left, Haley Moss Dillon, Lilly O’Donnell and Leah Milstein teamed up to throw an afternoon-long benefit at Sidewalk Cafe on Saturday for Ray Alvarez of Ray’s Candy Store to help him pay his rent. They raised $1,300. Click here.

St. Vincent’s still on life support, as takeover is off
By Albert Amateau
The future of St. Vincent’s as a full-service, acute-care hospital with a Level 1 trauma center and emergency room remained imperiled last week even as the state and creditors infused emergency cash to keep the 160-year-old institution going.

Chinatown’s future is diverse group’s single-minded focus
By Lesley Sussman
Residents, representatives of advocacy groups and social-service organizations, politicians and business owners from throughout the greater Chinatown area packed a community meeting and workshop on Mon., Feb. 1, to help draft a comprehensive, community-based plan for Chinatown’s future.

Haitian school head’s pain felt by relatives here
By Tequila Minsky and Julie Shapiro
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Twenty days after the devastating earthquake, The Children’s Harvest elementary school here was silent last week, a thick layer of dust coating the building’s empty benches and tables.

Keeping up popular playground is not child’s play
By Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke
On a frigid January morning, Lisa Dow, Lara Mullarkey and Sylvia Morales gathered at Dublin 9, a restaurant overlooking the Bleecker Street Playground, to discuss their most recent accomplishment.

More stimulus funds for Ray as benefit nets $1,300
By Lincoln Anderson
In the latest injection of community stimulus funds into Ray’s Candy Store, a “Day of Ray” benefit at Sidewalk Cafe last Saturday raised $1,300 for the Avenue A egg cream emporium.